Mexico, tierra de mi corazon

To begin our transcontinental trip, two weeks ago we headed south with the family caravan on our annual vacation to Bahia de Kino, Sonora. Crossing this border always gives me a sense of "going home," you know that warm, swelling feeling in your chest that makes you love everything you see. It's funny, considering the first impressions one might have of a landscape of unfinished cinder block buildings, skinny stray dogs and lots of trash. But, like any imperfect yet beloved sight, it's easy to move past the surface into the heart of the place. It makes me sad that violence has made so many areas dangerous and inaccessible. I hope someday soon there will be a shift toward peace so that this amazing country can be fully enjoyed and appreciated by all, rather than feared.

The border fence in Nogales


New Kino, the end of the road

The house on the beach was thoroughly relaxing and beautiful. We spent a great deal of time under the shade, watching the ocean, reading and napping.

On the "bus"


There was an unusual amount of fish in the water, leading to this incredible display of bird action on the beach every day. Very entertaining. Also, we were twice (!) graced with a show from a pod of dolphins. Of course, pictures never really capture the experience, so you'll have to take our word for it. It was awesome.


We watched fishermen scooping up rubbery blue jellyfish to export to Japan, where it is a delicacy. Mmmmm, yum.

A busy Sunday

We also played a ton of games: bananagrams, scopa (a game John learned in Italy from our relatives), rummikub, Oh hell, and Set...just to name a few.

Oh Hell, round 4


We had a campfire on the beach on the solstice, thanks to Sebastian. What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!

Fabulous flowers at the house -- part of Uncle Bill's vast cactus and succulent collection

Dinner al fresco at sunset with the family

On the whole, it was a great trip. No one got hurt, no cars got lost on en route, and we all enjoyed each others' company. Scopa!

*****

A quick update from Tucson: we stopped in town for two days to see family and catch our breath before continuing north. We were so happy to see that Maya and Andrea have done a great job of keeping our garden thriving (THANK YOU). We even got to enjoy some of our strawberries, tomatoes and zucchini. Also, check out our front planter below. A few months ago it was a barren wasteland of cat feces and dust. Given a little TLC by Sean, it has been transformed into a lush, flowery oasis.

Jasmine scented tobacco, hollyhocks, sunflowers, mexican torches, penstemons and more

***

Tomorrow, we set off for California and so leave the scorching desert for more temperate climates. Soon we'll be in the redwoods!